A former Washington firefighter was sentenced for killing his wife to pursue a romance with his mistress—but the tragedy has divided his adult children.
Kevin West was sentenced Feb. 27 to 25 years in prison for the 2024 murder of his wife Marcelle “Marcy” West after prosecutors argued that he’d strangled the 48-year-old to death in their bed because of mounting pressure from his mistress’ family to file for divorce, according to The Oregonian.
Kevin was found guilty in January of first-degree murder and second-degree murder after jurors deliberated for just two hours.
According to prosecutors, Kevin, a former Camas-Washougal Fire Battalion Chief, relied on his experience as a paramedic to concoct a false story that Marcy had died of a fatal seizure on Jan. 8, 2024.
Although her death was initially considered inconclusive, after a source told investigators about Kevin’s affair, a second autopsy was performed on the body, per The Oregonian. This time the medical examiner found bloody tissue in her throat, along with bruising to the back of her head. The medical examiner concluded that she’d died of asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the neck, KOIN reported.
At his sentencing on Feb. 27, Kevin continued to tearfully proclaim his innocence, insisting that he had not been responsible.
“I made every effort to save her life,” he said during the sentencing, per The Columbian. “I owe you all an apology for my affair, my only wrongdoing. A mockery has been made of my wife’s passing through all of the social media craze and national attention.”
The 52-year-old’s adult children also addressed the court; however, they expressed opposing views on their father’s fate.
His 20-year-old daughter Megan West condemned her father, criticizing him for how quickly he replaced her mother with his paramour Cynthia Ward.
“My father’s actions not only took my mom’s life, they took my future with her — moments, memories and milestones that will never exist,” she said, per The Oregonian. “Then you had the nerve to look me in the eyes and ask if I was relieved she was dead.”
She added, according to The Columbian, that he had been “too busy” with his mistress to give them the attention they needed.
“What you did was beyond neglect,” she told him. “It was exploitation. You didn’t just destroy your family, you made us collateral in your wreckage. You didn’t just disrespect her memory, you bulldozed over it.”
Megan also remembered her mother, telling the court they had loved to take road trips together.
After delivering the powerful statement—which earned applause from some in the galley—Megan spoke to KATU about how difficult it had been to face her father in court.
"It was hard seeing him,” she admitted. “Because even though I saw my father, I didn't recognize him one bit. I saw a stranger in my eyes.”
However, the couple’s son, Ted West, 22, spoke out in support of their father describing him as a kind and selfless man.
“He has given me many reasons to trust him,” he said, per The Oregonian, “not only through his words but through his actions.”
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Ted—who continues to believe in his father’s innocence—asked the judge for leniency.
“I have had the privilege of knowing my father for 23 years,” he said, according to The Columbian. “He has always been empathetic and loving. I respectfully ask that you take his character and his positive impact into consideration.”
While handing down the sentence, Judge Robert Lewis told Kevin, per the news outlet, that he didn’t find his explanations of what happened that day believable.
Ward, who was also present during the proceedings, declined to speak to the media.
